''Acropora pharaonis'' is a species of

acroporid Acroporidae is a family of small polyped stony corals in the phylum Cnidaria. The name is derived from the Greek ''"akron"'' meaning "summit" and refers to the presence of a corallite at the tip of each branch of coral. They are commonly known a ...

coral that was first described by Milne-Edwards and Haime in 1860. Found in marine, tropical, reefs on slopes sheltered from wave action, it occurs at depths of between . It is classed as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, and it has a decreasing population. It is common and found over a large area and is classified under CITES Appendix II.

Description

''Acropora pharaonis'' is found in colonies of flat table-like structures, or simply in structures of clumped vertical or horizontal twisted branches. Colonies can have heights over and they are orderly and symmetrical. Branchlets are of lengths up to with diameters of and branchlets can reach long and have diameters. Brown-grey in colour with branches having pale tips, the branches become thinner towards the ends and contain many small branchlets, which contain axial, incipient axial, and radial corallites. The axial corallites, located on the ends of the branchlets, are small with outer diameters of between 1.5 and 2.6mm and inner diameters of 0.6-1.5mm. Incipient axial corallites frequently occur on the branchlets, giving them a spikey surface. The radial corallites are located in close proximity and contain small nose-shaped openings and randomly placed spinules. This species looks similar to '' Acropora clathrata'', ''

Acropora parapharaonis ''Acropora valida'' is a species of acroporid coral found in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the southwestern, northwestern and northern Indian Ocean, the Persian Gulf, the central Indo-Pacific, Australia, southeast Asia, Japan, the East China ...

'', and '' Acropora plumosa''. It is found in a marine environment on the slopes of tropical reefs at depths between . Its mineralised tissue is composed of aragonite (calcium carbonate).

Distribution

''Acropora pharaonis'' is common and found over a large range; the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Aden, New Caledonia, Fiji, American Samoa, and potentially in Cocos-Keeling. It is threatened by climate change, coral disease, rising sea temperatures leading to bleaching, reef destruction, being prey to ''Acanthaster planci'', and human activity. It is rated as a vulnerable species on the IUCN Red List, is listed CITES Appendix II, and could occur within Marine Protected Areas.

Taxonomy

It was first described by Haime and

Henri Milne-Edwards Henri Milne-Edwards (23 October 1800 – 29 July 1885) was an eminent French zoologist. Biography Henri Milne-Edwards was the 27th child of William Edwards, an English planter and colonel of the militia in Jamaica and Elisabeth Vaux, a Frenchw ...

in 1860 in genus ''Madrepora''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3936568 Acropora Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean Fauna of the Indian Ocean Fauna of the Red Sea Marine fauna of Asia Marine fauna of Oceania Fauna of Southeast Asia Vulnerable fauna of Asia Vulnerable fauna of Oceania Corals described in 1860 Taxa named by Henri Milne-Edwards Taxa named by Jules Haime